Heat wave, wildfires grip Western Europe
Belgium records sharp rise in deaths
Belgium registered one of its highest daily death tolls this century during the June heat wave, according to preliminary mortality data released by the national statistics office, Statbel.
Around 650 people died on June 27 and 640 on June 28, making them among the deadliest days recorded in the country since 2000.
Only April 8 and April 10, 2020, during the COVID-19 pandemic, recorded comparable or higher daily death tolls, with 641 and 675 deaths, respectively.
The figures cover June, when the Royal Meteorological Institute recorded a heat wave in Uccle, in the Brussels-Capital Region, between June 17 and June 28.
Statbel reported 9,741 deaths nationwide during the month, including 5,351 in Flanders, 3,582 in Wallonia and 808 in the Brussels-Capital Region.
The agency stressed that the figures are preliminary and cannot, on their own, establish excess mortality or a direct causal link between the deaths and the heat wave.
Spain declares national emergency
Spain declared a national emergency as several major wildfires continued to spread across the Community of Madrid and neighboring Avila province.
Interior Minister Fernando Grande-Marlaska placed the Military Emergency Unit (UME) in charge of firefighting and emergency operations after authorities warned that the fires remained critical.
The emergency declaration covers fires burning in Villa del Prado and San Martin de Valdeiglesias in the Madrid region, as well as Burgohondo in Castilla y León.
More than 10,000 people have been evacuated from Villa del Prado, San Martin de Valdeiglesias, Pelayos de la Presa and Aldea del Fresno.
Regional authorities warned that high temperatures, dry vegetation and strong winds were allowing the fires to spread beyond the capacity of current firefighting efforts.
In neighboring France, a large wildfire near Arcachon Bay in the Gironde department forced the evacuation of more than 12,000 people as flames swept through one of the country's busiest summer tourist destinations.
The blaze has burned around 2,400 hectares of vegetation since breaking out on Wednesday, prompting precautionary evacuations from six campsites and residential areas near Cap-Ferret.
Around 700 firefighters, supported by water-bombing aircraft and hundreds of gendarmes, continued efforts to contain the fire.
Authorities in Bordeaux prepared emergency accommodation for evacuees, while the Red Cross and volunteer teams assisted relief operations.
A separate wildfire in the Var department in southern France burned approximately 2,500 hectares and forced the evacuation of around 400 people.
Although officials said the fire was no longer spreading, they warned that stronger winds could complicate firefighting efforts.
Extreme weather raises concerns
The latest heat wave and wildfire outbreaks come as much of Western Europe experiences prolonged periods of high temperatures and dry conditions.
French firefighters' unions warned of growing operational pressure, saying emergency crews were increasingly strained by repeated large-scale wildfire responses.
Scientists have linked rising temperatures and prolonged drought across southern Europe to an increasing frequency and intensity of extreme weather events, including heat waves and wildfires.
Source:AA
